Mat Fraser won five CrossFit Games titles, yet he threw up before nearly every event.
In a recent episode of Strong Talk, the retired champion opened up about failure, fear, and life after the podium.
He revealed the rowing workout that left him unable to stand.
He also explained the surprising training habit behind a five-year undefeated streak.
Then came the twist: a fresh challenge is pulling him back into competition.
Jump to:
The Marathon Row That Nearly Broke Him
Asked for the one workout he never wants to repeat, Fraser pointed to a 42,000-meter rowing marathon at what he believes was the 2018 Games. It took roughly three to three and a half hours.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
I was like, oh my God, I’ll do anything rather than doing that again.
- Cramps on every stroke: calves, quads, and forearms threatened to seize for over an hour.
- Fluids vanished: roughly 8 liters of drinks were gone with 90 minutes left.
- Zero stimulation: no headphones, no screens, just house music.
It looked like somebody took two gallons of water and just dumped it on the floor. I was sweating so much.
Fraser finished top 10. Then came the real pride-swallowing moment.
You have to carry me, but don’t make it look like you’re carrying me. I don’t want any of my competitors seeing how crippled I am right now.
How Failure Became His Fuel
Fraser’s engine started with heartbreak. His second-place finish in 2015 hit him hard.
It was so devastating. It felt like a shot to me as a person, my identity. It put me into a depression.
Only two competitions in his entire career ended without a podium win: his first two Games appearances. After that, he went five years without losing a single in-person event.
You don’t get that beautiful moment in front of thousands of people without a thousand of the moments by yourself in your gym when no one’s patting you on the back.
The “Tasting Pennies” Mindset
Fraser pushed until his head tingled and his mouth tasted metallic. His logic was brutally simple.
Either option, ten minutes after the workout’s done, I’m going to be at the water fountain feeling totally fine. But throttling back means that question will never be answered. What could I have done?
Pushing through, he said, means no doubt left on the table.
The Twist: He Rarely Went All-Out
Here’s what surprises people. Most of Fraser’s year consisted of single-modality work: strength, conditioning, and accessories, trained separately.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
The squats, the rowing intervals, the bike intervals, all that stuff, that was studying for the test. And then the metcons were the test.
His rower became a place of safety. Fail there, and the worst outcome is a six-inch drop to the floor, unlike a barbell dropped on your body or a fall from the rings.
- By 2016: he stopped running competition workouts start to finish in training.
- Why: knowing exactly how bad a workout hurts made him “gun shy.”
- Squat cycles: timed so max-out day landed on day one of the Games.
I’m not training to compete right now. I’m training to build. They’re two very different things.
Regular Cars vs. Monster Trucks
Pat, the show’s science voice, stressed that everyday lifters aren’t elite athletes. His vehicle analogy made the point.
If I try to jump a Buick or do donuts with it, it’s like, who’s that guy? Drive a regular car normal.
- Train 2 to 4 times weekly with compound movements.
- Eat mostly whole foods.
- Stopping a little short of failure is “good enough” for most results.
Pat also pointed to Tim Noakes’ central governor model, which casts the brain as fatigue’s main referee. That idea still sparks debate among exercise scientists, but its practical lesson resonates.
If you haven’t experienced something, you don’t know how to interpret this current state you’re in.
Translation: familiarity with discomfort calms the brain.
Serenity Prayers and Dry Heaves
Before every Games event, Fraser retreated to the back of the starting corral. His ritual? The Serenity Prayer.
What do I have control over, and what am I going to do about it? And then the dry heaves would start.
Rookies stared in horror. His manager, Matt O’Keefe, actually grew nervous if Fraser didn’t vomit.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
Pat shared a similar story from strongman, where legs felt like they vanished. His takeaway: if those nerves don’t show up, he isn’t ready.
A Warm-Up Tip From the Champ
Don’t copy rivals who start moving early. Fraser did a rep or two, then sat under a blanket, resting as hard as possible.
Life After the Podium
Retirement hit harder than expected. Gym sessions felt hollow.
Unless I’m willing to go back to training 8 hours a day, I’m training just to slow the decline.
The rower’s screen offered no mercy: “There’s no lying.” It took a year or two before he found balance.
- New hobbies: dirt bikes, motorcycles, and a welding class beside his wife’s pottery class.
- Fatherhood: two young kids and two businesses.
- Old identity: a former mechanical engineering student rediscovering curiosity.
His current “why” is simple. He wants his children to see that training is normal, and to learn good movement mechanics early.
How Fraser Trains Now
- 20-minute pinch workout: weight vest on a stair machine, heart rate held near 185.
- 60-minute lifts: bodybuilding-style splits, three exercises per muscle group, a set every two minutes, near failure.
- Endurance: trail runs and rucks with a 40 to 50-pound pack, including four out-and-backs on a 5K trail.
His 15-Minute Workout and Go-To Meal
Fraser favors an EMOM of burpees over a 30-inch box: 10 reps for 10 minutes, later 12 reps for 12 minutes. You only look 30 seconds ahead.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
His meal pick? Ground beef bowls with taco seasoning and white rice, prized for being easy, repeatable, and reheatable.
The Comeback Tease
Why return? Fraser realized competition fills a genuine need.
I didn’t really know that was something I needed: an outlet, something to train for.
This summer he tackled the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim-to-rim, about 45 miles with 11,000 feet of gain and loss. Later came Vermont’s Camel’s Hump, climbed three times with 1,000 burpees mixed in over roughly eight hours.
Recent genetic testing told him his top-end strength is modest while his response to endurance training is “off the charts.” A weightlifter once even told him he’s an endurance athlete who simply trained lifting for a decade.
Where It All Began
Fraser’s roots trace to Chris Polakowski, an elementary school PE teacher who built and funded a weightlifting room himself. He never charged a dime.
You weren’t allowed to do a rep unless he was watching you. If you’re getting coached, it’s not just somebody sending you a spreadsheet.
That lesson endures: purpose, patience, and coaching beat chasing intensity every day.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
